Book, magazine, pamphlet, or the like



July 13, 1943. H. H. MORETON BOOK, MAGAZINE, PAMPHLET, OR THE LIKE 9; 1941 2 Sheets-$heet 1 Filed Dec July .13, 1943. H. H. MORETON BOOK, MAGAZINE, PAMPHLET, OR THE LIKE 2, Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 9, 1941 awe/M304 jiezzzyflflarehra Patented July 13, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,324,413 BOOK, MAGAZINE, PAMPHLET, OR THE LIKE Henry H. Moreton, East Orange, N. J. Application December 9, 1941, Serial No. 422,275

4 Claims.

This invention is a book in which the printed pages or leaves are so arranged as to be mutilated so completely as to result in its practical destruction by the reader as his reading of the sucessive pages progresses.

It is well known to authors, publishers and booksellers that the majority of the readers of the best sellers and the higher priced copyrighted books are to be found among the more afiiuent classes, and that relatively few sales of the best sellers are made among the poorer classes. The higher priced books are usually bought with the desire to preserve them in the private libraries of the purchasers, or to be continually passed from one member of the family to another. It is obvious that if these works were published in editions which would be cheap enough to tempt purchases by the poorer classes, the sales of the higher priced, better editions would fall off to such an extent as to destroy any profitable earnings under copyright protection. The reader who now is unable to gratify the desire of owning his individual copy, must perforce borrow from friends or the public library, or else rent used copies from a circulating library. The danger of contagious diseases lurking in public volumes of this character is well recognized.

An important object of the invention is to make available to the poorer classes, the best literature in sanitary form, at a cost comparable with the rental price of a used copy from a circulating library. A further object is to provide a cheaply priced book, which may be published at prices readily available to the poorer classes, but of such a nature that its publication will not destroy the normal demand for the more costly editions. This object is accomplished by printing the pages on cheap paper, and assembling the printed leaves in such manner that each page, after it is read, must be detached from the rest of the pages, before the printing on the reverse side of the leaf, or the obverse side of the next leaf can be exposed for perusal.

The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a perspective View diagrammatically illustrating a book constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a similar view of a slight modification.

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3, Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 44, Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line 5- -5, Figure 2, illustrating a slight modification.

Figure 6 is a perspective view illustrating another modification.

Figure 7 is a sectional View on the line 'l--l, Figure 6.

Figures 8 and 9 are sectional views illustratin other modifications.

Figure 10 is a perspective view illustrating an additional modification.

Figures 11 and 12 are perspective views illustrating other modifications.

Figure 13 is a sectional view on line |3-l3, Figure 11.

Referring to the drawings and more Particularly to Figure 1, B designates a book in which a plurality of leaves L are arranged in superimposed relation in the form of a pad, so that each leaf may be successively detached from the book, in such manner as to expose the leaf immediately under it. It is preferred to so assemble the leaves that while in said superimposed relation the reading matter R printed on each of the respective pages constitutes a continuous story reading from the topmost page L to the bottom of the assembly. For purposes of illustration. the reading matter R is indicated by parallel dot-dash lines.

The leaves L are preferably unbound except by means hereinafter described, provided to prevent exposure and perusal of the next underlying leaf until the topmost leaf, 1. e., the one finished by the reader, has been detached from the rest of the book.

Referring more particularly to the form shown in Figures 1, 3 and 4, it will be observed that the assembled leaves are provided with elongated cuts or incisions I5 extending completely through the entire superimposed assembly, these cuts or incisions being produced by suitable cutters in any desired manner. For purposes of illustration, the upper edges of the leaves are shown as united by an adhesive I6, in a Well known manner. In Figure 1, one set of incisions I5 is shown in full lines located at a position between the printed lines of the pages substantially spaced from the. top, and at a position inside of the marginal edges of the said pages. The incisions I5 are cut through all of the superimposed leaves of the book, and all at the same location in a line parallel with the top and bottom edges of the book. The registering edges of the leaves at the cut portions 15 are united in desirable manner, as for instance by means of a suitable cement I! (Figure 3) said cement being applied by means of a suitable tool capable of carrying the cement into the slit portion.

By the arrangement thus far described, it will be readily understood that the cement unites all of the registering incized edges of the respective superimposed leaves of the book, so as to anchor said leaves in their superimposed assembly without in any way obliterating the printed matter, but that it will be impossible for the reader to obtain access to each succeeding page without tearing off the topmost page. As shown in Figure 1 the registering incisions l5 are positioned between adjacent printed lines on the respective pages of the book. In Figure 2, the incisions |5a are shown as placed adjacent one side margin of the printed page, but parallel with the side edges of the pages. In each instance the cemented slit portion is so located that during the removal of the topmost page the latter must be torn from the anchorage I! at the position coinciding with the location of the cemented incision l5, so as to practically destroy the page for future use. While but one set of these incisions is normally sufficient, any desired number may be used, as indicated in dotted lines, Figure l. The number of sets of incisions is optional, depending upon the extent of destriuction desired to be accomplished by the removal of the topmost leaf. In the form shown in Figures 2 and 5 the edges of the leaves are cemented together at one side margin of the book, as indicated at I6 and the incision i5 is parallel therewith but located adjacent the other side margin.

In the form illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, the superimposed leaves may be cut in suitable manner to form indented notched portions !8, which extend inwardly a substantial distance from D- posite marginal edges of the book. Good results are accomplished by locating these notches at 130- sltions well below the center of the sheet as viewed in Figure 6, and cementing the notched surfaces, as indicated at I9. By this arrangement, it will be observed that any attempt to tear oil a leaf by lifting any corner thereof and pulling it in a direction to disengage it from the cemented portions will, due to the resistance created by the cemented notched portions, cause the page to tear to such an extent as to result in its destruction, so as to render it useless for future reading of the book.

If it is desired to increase the degree of mutilation, notches 18 may be located at various positions, as shown in dotted lines Figure 6, and cementing of the pages at E2 may be omitted.

To increase the strength of the union of the cut portions, a piece of fabric 20, carrying the necessary cement may be inserted into each of the slits l5, as shown in Figure 9. In a similar manner, the notched portions l9 may be reenforced by a fabric strip ZB as shown in Figure 10.

In practice, the leaves L are printed by any desired process on cheap paper, without numbering the pages. The leaves are then assembled with printing matter arranged in successive continuity, and the cement covered areas of each leaf in contact with similar areas of the next adjacent leaf. The adhesive having been moistened in suitable manner, sufficient pressure is applied to unite the leaves at the contacting areas 15, l or 19 as the case may be. As a result it will be impossible for the reader to peruse any page except the first one without removing the leaf immediately preceding it, or to read the reverse side of any leaf without first detaching said leaf. Thus, the reader will automatically destroy the book as he reads, rendering it practically unfit for further reading or resale because by that time, even if he has preserved the detached pages, he will have a large number of unnumbered separated pages. Obviously, the complete mutilation of the book will discourage purchases by those who would ordinarily buy the higher priced and better editions. By means of this arrangement the publisher is enabled to Place ny literary Work at the disposal of the poorer classes and at the same time retain the normal lucrative market for the more expensive editions.

In lieu of the cemented incisions illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, either of the forms illustrated in Figures 11, 12 and 13 may be employed. Referring more particularly to Figure 12, the leaves L of the book B are arranged substantially as illustrated in Figure 1. In lieu of the incisions l5, however, spots of adhesive 2! are applied to each sheet of the book at relatively spaced positions located inside of the. marginal edges thereof. The spots of adhesive applied to each sheet are in register with correspondingly arranged adhesive spots applied to all of the other sheets. The adhesive spots 2| may be arranged to conform to any desired spacing, and may be of any desired number, four spots on each sheet being indicated for purposes of illustration, and arranged in the positions of the corners of a square. Figure l2 differs from Figure 13 in placing a scored or perforated line 22 extending transversely of the leaves L so as to divide the spots 2| into two separate groups. Each leaf is perforated so that as each topmost sheet is removed by the reader the sheet will not only be destroyed by the adhering spots 21. but will also be torn into two pieces along the scored line 22.

It is to be understood that the cemented incisions IS, the cemented notched portions H3, or the spotted adhesives 2| may be used individually as shown in the drawings, or may be used to gether in any desired combination without departing from the spirit of the invention. For instance, for purposes of illustration, a combination of the arrangements of Figures 1 and 6 is illustrated in the sectional view, Figure 8. The cemented portions I6 and w may also be omitted if desired. In either instance, the fabrics 20 and 29 as the case may be, may or may not be used, all without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is also understood that the invention contemplates that the length and shape of the incisions l5 and I5", and the shape, width and depth of the notches l8, and the area of the spots 2! may be varied in accordance with the judgment of the manufacturer. It is to be further understood, that wherever the term adhesive means is used in the specification and the claims, the term is intended to include the adhesive spots 2|, the adhesive coated incisions l5, I5 and the notches I9, whether used individually or collectively.

While the invention has been above described as applied to a book, it is to be understood that said invention is not limited in this particular. In other words, it is equally applicable to magazines, pamphlets and other assemblies of superposed printed pages. Therefore, wherever the term book is used in the specification and claims, it is to be understood as including all types of assemblies consisting of a plurality of superposed printed pages, whether the same is characterized as a book, magazine, pamphlet or by any other technical or popular name.

Having thus explained the nature of th invention and described an operative manner of constructing and using the same. although without attempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made, or all of the forms of its use, what is claimed is:

l. A book of the character described having in combination a plurality of leavesarranged in superimposed relation, each leaf having an elongated incision spaced inwardly from the marginal edges of the leaf and approximately parallel with one of said edges, so that the registering incisions extend entirely through the book, and means for permanently anchoring the edges of the incised portions of the leaves together whereby each exposed topmost leaf must be removed from the assembly of superimposed leaves before the underlying leaf may be exposed or examined.

2. A book of the character described having in combination a plurality of leaves arranged in superimposed relation, each leaf having an elongated incision spaced inwardly from the marginal edges of the leaf and extending laterally across said leaf in a line approximately parallel with the top and bottom edges thereof, an adhesive material within said incisions and uniting the incised edges of all of the superimposed leaves, whereby each exposed topmost leaf must be completely removed from the assembly before the underlying leaf may be exposed and examined.

3. A book of the character described having in combination a plurality of leaves arranged in superimposed relation, each leaf having an elongated incision spaced inwardly from the marginal edges of the leaf and approximately parallel with the side edges thereof, and adhesive located within the incisions and extending from top to bottom of the assembly of superimposed leaves so as to unite the incised edges of said leaves, whereby each exposed topmost leaf must be removed from the assembly before the underlying leaf may be exposed and examined.

4. A book of the character described having in combination a plurality of leaves arranged in superimposed relation, each leaf having an elongated incision spaced inwardly from the marginal edges of the leaf, the incisions of each leaf registering with those of the other leaves so as to extend entirely through the book from the topmost leaf to the lowermost leaf, a fabric strip extended through the registering incisions, and adhesive material uniting said strip with the incised edges of the respective leaves, whereby each exposed topmost leaf must be removed from the assembly before the underlying leaf may be exposed and examined.

HENRY H. MORETON. 

